Daily Doses of Glamour World

Traditional Japanese kimono Dress Ideas

Kimono’s are a thing of real beauty. They come from Japan and are a traditional piece of clothing. They can be worn for many different occasions from casual to formal. The color, pattern and appearance of family crests change depending on how smart the kimono dress is. For example, a kimono made of silk would be considered far smarter than one made of cotton or polyester. Young women’s kimono’s also tend to have longer sleeves to indicate that they are not married.

As you can see below, kimono’s come in a range of beautiful shapes and colors. Different shapes have different names such as the Furisode, Homongi or Komon. The “datemaki” is the wide belted sash that is worn around the waist and holds the kimono in position. For full formal wear, kimono’s are accessorized with fans, hair pins and wooden sandals.

As you can see here, elements of the kimono can be adapted to modern day clothing. Large colourful printed flowers, often chrysanthemum’s, are associated with Japanese culture. The color red is also often a base color for kimono’s. The combination of these two factors combined with a modern dress looks very striking. This is a great way to refer to Japanese history in a unique way.

This kimono is so dramatic and exciting to look at that fashion designers often reference them as well. The image below shows designer Jotaro Saito’s take on the kimono dress. He is the third generation of a family of kimono makers and says that they have always worked “more like designers than traditional shokunin craftspeople.”

Below is another more wacky version of a traditional kimono. The designer has worked padding, braiding and layering into this outfit. It may not be to everyone taste but it is certainly striking!

Kimono’s are often worn by children as well. Actually, the first important event that a baby experiences in Japan involves wearing a kimono dress. When the child is between 30 to 100 days old, the family visit a shrine together to report the birth of the child. The baby is dressed first in a white kimono layered with a brightly colored one on top.

The brightly colored prints and images of animals and flowers lend themselves to children’s clothing very well. As you can see below, this is a smart outfit for a child. But because of the simple shape and playful pattern, it suits the light hearted character of children.